Curtain-stretcher.



N. B- ALLEN.

CURTAIN STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8. 1915.

il m glv Patented M18, 1918.

V 3 SHEETS-SQEET I.

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N. B. ALLEN.

CURTAIN STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8. 1915.

Patented Jan. 8,1918. I 3 SHEETS,SHEET 2.

I/VVE/VIOR 6072 5,4 Z Z en Patentsd Jan. 8,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHE'-'T 3 N B ALLEN CURTAIN STRETCHER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 8. 1915.

Y Y o i NAPOLEON IB. ALLEN, OF.IBROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CURTAIN-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1191555.

Application fi1ed Apri18, 1915. Serial No. 19,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NAPOLEON B. ALLEN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York. borough of Brooklvn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Curtain-Stretcher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide a skeleton frame which may be folded to form a relatively small package; to provide means for rendering theframe rigid when in service; to provide means for facilitating the mounting of a curtain on a stretcher of the character mentioned; to provide auxiliary means for adapting the stretcher for use when stretching curtains of odd size or when it is desired to stretch two or more curtains of relativelv different sizes; and to provide folding supports forholding stretchers constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention, in service relation.

Drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view of a frame constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention, the members of the frame being shown as broken and contracted Fig. 2 is a back view of the same;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken as on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view on an enlarged scale. showing hinged fragments of the longitudinal rails of a stretcher constructed and arranged in accordance with the present i11- vention;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale. the section being taken as on the line 6() in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of one of the unit clamps with which the stretcher is provided:

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the same taken on the line 88 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a. detail view in perspective showing a clamping bolt used for mounting the stretcher in service position;

Fig. 10 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of one of the corner clamps employed. inmounting the frame in service position;

Fig. 11 is a de ail view in perspective showing on an enlarged scale one of the hlnges connecting the tenter strips and rails.

Description.

As seen in the drawings, the stretcher has two side bars 16. The bars 16 are pivotally attached tobrac ng struts 17 by hinge pins 18, which pass through said struts and he hinge wings 19 of clamp plates 20.. The clamp plates 20 have each spring clip jaws 21, the outer ends whereof are curled back to permit the struts 17 to force the jaws apart to permit the struts to pass therebetween.

The side bars 16 are provided with corner irons 22 and Q3. The irons 22 have face plates 24 extending to the opposite side of the side bar 16 to form in conjunction with the back plate of the iron 22. a channel in which the side bars 16 normallv rest and wherein they are guided. Each of the plates 24 has a flange 95 to extend over the edge of the side b r 16 and to form an encircling member here or. The c annel hus formed is ro ided to ho d the side bar 16.

To fix the position of the ir ns 522 the are provided with screws 26 and winged nuts 27 therefor. The ends of the screws 26 press upon-the bars 16 to force the same against the plates 24 and the flanges 25 thereof.

The irons 22 are p ovided with to co plates 28. upon which are formed flanges which extend o er and about the u per lon itudinal rail 30 of the stre cher frame. crows 31 are provided to press upon the rail 30 to force the same into engagement with the flanges 99. In the co ner irons Q" the face plates 24 and 98 are in l ne. therehv securing the top rail 30 of the stre cher when activelv dis osed. to rest in a plane coincident with the s de bars 16.

The corner irons 23 differ from the corner irons 22 in that the face plate 32 is advanced or stepped out from the face plate 33. for su porting the lower longitudinal rail 34. The irons 23 are held fixedly in position upon the side rails 16 bv screws 35. The face plate 32 is provided with a screw 36, which performs the same ofice for the lower rail 34. When the screws 31, 35, 36 and 26 are manipulated to frictionally engage the longitudinal bars 30 and 31 and the side bars 16, the rectangular frame is connected. It is to correct or set the angles of the joints thus made that I provide angle bars 38 and 39.

The bars 39 are pivoted on the screws 35, and are each provided with dropped, upwardly-opening hooks 40. The front walls of the hooks'40 are provided with screws 4,1, which may. be forced against the rails 34 to hold the same and the bar 39 in'mutually fixed relation. iVhen the rail 3-1 rests evenly in the bottom of the hooks .40, the angles between the rails 34 and the bars 16 will be found to be right-angles. In a similar manner, the angle bars 38 are provided with hooks 42, which enfold the top rail 30 and are held fixedly in relation thereto by the screw 43.

The angle bars '38 are further provided J with means for setting the working angle between the side bars 16 and the longitudinal rails 30 and 3 1. Said means cons sts primarily of elongated slots 914 which slide over the'screws 26. At the lower ends of the slots 4-1- are offset socket portions 415, as best seen in Fig. 10. of the drawings. When the bottoms of the socket portions 15 rest against the under sides of the screws 26, and the lower edges of the angle bars 38 rest upon the lugs 46 with which each of the corner irons 22 is provided, it will be found that the rail 30 is held rigidly in a perpendicular relation to the side bars 16. Vvhen so disposed, the screws 26 and 13 are tightened after which the stretcher will be found to be rectangular in form.

v The longitudinal rails 30 and 3 1 are preferably formed in sections. The sections are pimtallv connected to fold one upon the other, the pivotal joints being made by hinge pins 47, The hinge straps 18 and 49 have each tab ends 50,'which overg t e uppe l .0, s seen est i Fig. 1- The h ngestraps 48 and .1 are permanently mounted on the, scctionsof the rail 30, being secured thereto in any conventional manner. To insure the straightline extension of the sections of the rails 30 and 34 the hinge straps 1S and 19 are locked in service position by the auxiliary The a .1 re u tallv lock ng .3 735 paid mounted by pins on the Straps s8.

- bars 51 have tabbed extensicns 53, in which 5 of the d a ingsis mounted a binding screw 54. The ex-- creme end of the bar 51 abuts Oil the shoulder 55 formed by the tab QHClS 50 on the straps -19. This structure is seen best in To augment the hold of the bars 51 the straps 49 have each an edge opening slot 56, provided to receive I h in e ned dges 5.? wi h WlllQh sa het he 5.111s provided lVhen the sections of the rails 30 and 34. are disposed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and the bars 51 are so disposed as-to insert the edges 57 in the slots 56, and the screws 5 1 have been set up to clamp said rails against the tabbed extensions 53 thereof, it will beseen that the sections of said rails are rigidly connected to form a h nt structure. 7

.lVhen, on the other hand, the bars 51 are lifted from, engagement with the straps 49,

as seen best in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the sections of said rails may be folded, as disclosed in said figure, swinging about the hinge pins 47. In thisposition, if the bars 51 he now depressed, it will be found thatthe forward edges of said bars 51 engage and rest firmly against abutments 8 formed at the hee1s of the straps 1-9. vBy manipulating the screws 5t-while the bars 51 are, in the latter-described position, said bars are held permanently, and the sections of the rails 30 and 3%- are held against disadjustment from the folded'positions'in which they have been thus locked. The side bars 16 and the sections of the longitudinal rails 30 and 3% are each pro vided with tenterstrips 59; Each of said strips is furnished at suitable intervals with a series of tenter hooks 60. The tenter hooks. 60 are disposed perpendicular to the plane of the stretcher, with their points turned outward, as shown by the section of the strip 59 at the lower right-hand corner of ig. 1. Of the drawings. When the strips are all disposed in this manner, a curtain is placed on the stretcher, the hooks passing through the fabric or interstices thereof. After disengaging the fabric and hooks 60, the strips 59 are folded to the position shown best inFig. 6 of the drawings, in which position the hooksfit) are turned into the channels 61 formed by channeling the edge of the side bars 16 and rails 30 and 3st; The possible. injury to. the hands and clothing of the operator is thus avoided.

The strips 59 are pivotally mounted on the bars 16 and rails 30 and 31 by hinges, preferablyconstructed as shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings, The hinge knuckles 62 of these hinges are integral with and curled from hinge strips 63. Thehinge strips have extended, pointed, fastening ends 6%, which are driven into the bars 16 and rails 30 and 3%, as best shown in Fig. 60f thedrawings. The hinge pins 65 are integral with staples 66, thepointed ends whereof serve as fastening members'for securing said pins in service position. To hold the various strips 159 in the folded positionfwhere the points of the hooks 60 may be said to be hooded, there are provided latchplates 67. The latch. plates Mare-pivoted on the side bars and rails above mentiQncdrand areadapted to uing-9W .,foqengegement with the pins68;

Wimn thus arranged, the strips 59 are held firmly in out-,of-service position. It will be observed that the latch plates 67 are moved to their locking position when the curtain or fabric is removed from the tenter hooks 60 and the strips 59 swung to inactive position where the points of said hooks are covered.

The rails 30 and 34 are preferably provided each with graduated markings suitably indicated. Said markings are preferably. employed for setting the curtain or fabric on the stretcher to establish the proper length for the curtain or fabric when the same is dried. By means of this arrangement there is avoided the danger of over-stretching .the curtain or fabric, and also the failure to stretch the same sufficiently. In this connection, it willbe seen that the side bars 16 are set on the rails 30 and 34 with due reference to the length of curtains which it is designed to dry thereon. The same is true of the placement of the auxiliary transverse bar 69.

The bar 69 is double-edged, each edge being provided with a strip 59 similar in construction and arrangement to the strips at" tached to the side bars 16 and rails 30 and 34. The transverse bar 69 is independently attached to the rails 30 and 34. For this purpose the transverse bar 69 is provided with a screw 70, adapted to fit within an end opening slot 72 in a hook plate 71. The plate 71 has a hook head 73, through the face plate of which a screw 74 extends, for impingement upon the rails 30. When the plate 71 is properly adjusted and the screws and 74 are set up, the transverse bar 69 at one end thereof is held firmly in position. The opposite end is held by a hook 75, the face plate 7 6 whereof extends to the outside of the rail 34, and the shank whereof, as best shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, has a screw-threaded portion 77, with which a winged nut 78 is engaged. The shank of the hook is preferably rectangular to fit within the elongated slot 79 formed in the transverse bar 69.

Operation.

The operation of a stretcher constructed and arranged as above described and as shown in the accompanying drawings, is as follows If a curtain is to be dried, the length whereof is known, the side bar 16 at the right of the frame is adjusted to the rails 30 and 34 to register with the marks thereon indicating the length of the curtain to be stretched or dried. To permit the shifting of said side bar in the manner mentioned, the screws 31, 36, 41 and 43 are loosened, becoming thereby disengaged from the rails 30 and 34 to permit the adjustment lengthwise thereon of said side bar. The latch plates 67 on the strips 59 are now removed from engagement with the pins 68, and the strips 59 are swung back to expose the pointed ends of the hooks 60. The curtain is now carefully disposed on the hooks 60.

lfthe transverse bar 69 is used, this is shifted to position where the strip 59 at the left of said bar is disposed in service relation to the strip 59 on the side bar 16 at the left of the stretcher. The transverse bar 69 is commonly usedwhen it is necessary to dry a relatively short curtain. This operation may be performed at the same time that the longer curtain or curtains are dried, the separation between the curtains due to the relative ofiset of the bar 69 to the rails 30 and 34, having a desirable effect.

By adjusting the transverse bar-69 to rails 30 and 34, loosening plates 67 that holds strip 59, the separation between the curtains due to relative offset of bar 69 to rails 30 and 34 having the desired effect, the short curtains may be put on first'from bar 16 to 69 and longer curtains may be placed over said short curtains extending between rails 16. Thus two lengths of curtains are dried on the frame at one and the same time.

The struts 17 in service hold the stretcher in the desired inclined position. 'When it becomes necessary to discontinue the use of the stretcher. the screws 31, 36. 41 and 43 are released. which permits the rails 30 and 34 to be withdrawn from engagement with the angle bars 38 and 39 and corner irons 22 and 23. The angle bars 38 and 39 are swung into nested relation to the corner irons 22 and 23, respectively, and to the bars 16 on which said irons are mounted. If the transverse bar 69 has been employed, the screws 70 and 74 and the nut 78 are released so that the hook plate 71 and the hook 75 may be moved from enga ement with the rails 30 and 34.

The sections of the rails 30 and 34 are now folded upon each other to reduce the length of said rails for packing. This is accomplished by releasing the screw 54 so that the bars 51 may be lifted, as shown best in Fig. 5 of the drawings. When the inturned edges 57 are removed from the slots 56, the sections of said rails may be swung on the hinge pins 47 to the folded position. The bars 51 are now dropped into the position where the forward edges of said bars pass behind the abutments 58, in which position said bars hold the hinge straps 48 and 49 permanently until it is desired to again set up the stretcher.

It will now be seen that the members constituting the stretcher are segregated, and are in condition for packing or bundling within relatively small compass.

Claims.

1. A curtain stretcher, and means for connectmg the rails thereof, comprising a plurality oat-corner irons each embodying:

integrally connected perpendicularly-dis posed-clamps; a plurality of screw-threaded clamping members mounted on said clamps and adapted toengage the rails when: dis posed in. said clamps; a plurality of braces, said braces having each a hook end rectan gular in shape for engaging one of thesrails of said stretcher, the opposite end of each:

of said braces having an elongated slot for slidably connecting each of said braces and one of said corner irons; and a. setv screw mounted on each; of sald braces for holding the-same in adjusted position on. one'of said r-alls-andi the adgacent corner iron.

2." Acurtain stretcher and means for con meeting the rails there0f,.c0mprising a. plurahty of corner irons, each embodying integrally connected perpendicularly-disposed' clampsg a-plurality of screW-threadedclamping members; mounted on: said: clamps" and videdawith a socket portion otfsetf-rom sald slot to form a socket for gaging thewop'era tive position 015 said brace Within the rails with which sald brace 1s connected; and

a set screw mounted: on each of said: braces for holding the same-1n: achustedzpositionz on: one-of said nails and the. adgacent corner:

iron.

In testimony whereof Bhave signed my name: to! this specification in the: presence oftWO SHbSCIIbIIIg Witnesses.

NAPOLEON B5. ALLEN; Witnesses EF. Monoooix, Prrmm D; RoImHnUs;

Copies ofthis patent may, be obtained for five'cents caeh by adrlressi'nga the: Commissioner of Patents,v Washington, D. G. 

